In love, out of love, in love, in jail
by Bittersweet Fable
Summary: This is my first ever Fanfic, I'm so excited! So, this is my take on Warren's Parents when they met each other at Sky high.
1. Chapter 1

Sadly I don't own any of the characters; I just get to play with them. If anyone can tell me the actual names of Warren's parents it would be much appreciated if not I will just keep them as they are. Have fun!

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It was their first day at sky high, the insane bus ride and equally insane bus driver had surprising made it onto campus. Melinda had been so terrified when the bus had taken off that she had automatically grabbed the hand of the person sitting next to her. It wasn't until they were safely on the ... floating platform in the sky that could fall at any moment with little warning, did she realise she still had their hand. A tap on her shoulder made her turn and she suddenly she was looking in the face of a fine featured boy with striking chocolate brown eyes and floppy brown hair. He held up his hand which was still in her vice-like grip. She released it with a blush and stammered an apology as he rubbed feeling back into it. "Its fine" he said with a slightly pained smile "really. Just warn me next time" she tried to promise him there wouldn't be a next time but he just flashed a white smiled and walked off the bus that had emptied without them.

Gym class was first up. 'Crap' was the only thought that came to mind when Melinda realised. She had never been particularly good at gym and now she would be competing against Heroes! This was so unfair. The gym teacher, she discovered, was very... loud when he wanted to be. 'At least there wasn't any sport on the first day' she thought to herself, she couldn't embarrass herself too much. She had been called up, had shown her power (she could speak all languages ... including animal) and had had "SIDEKICK" yelled at her. The person directly after her was "Cullen Peace" who just happened to be the boy who had held her hand without complaint that morning, but while she was clapping she seemed to be the only one, everyone else had stiffened and were glaring at Cullen with blatant hatred burning in their eyes. Melinda's lone clapping petered off and she looked up to see his reaction. Cullen's face had turned to a granite mask of arrogance. He casually flicks a fireball just above the heads of the students to hit the tapestry behind them which burst into flames and just as casually walked off again, his entire demeanour screaming predator. Melinda watched this all wide eyed shock and more than a little confusion, where had the nice boy from the bus go? Why did everyone hate him?

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

It wasn't until between her first and second class that Melinda found out. She had been walking along the corridor to her next class when she had heard Cullen's name mentioned in conversation, of course she had to find out what they were saying, so she casually walked behind them trying to glean information "my mum said the apple never falls far from the tree and there are only bad seeds in that family" she heard the lead girl in the too short skirt say.

"Don't we choose what we become though?" said one of them, the one that resembled something akin to a mouse "I mean I choose to be a hero but I could be a villain if I wanted right?" the five girls just stared at the short mousey one for a few moments. Short shirt broke the awkward silence "no, it's all about blood" she used a manicured hand to place a demeaning pat on the top of her head "don't worry I'll teach you everything you need to know. First lesson: stay clear of Cullen Peace, he will destroy you" short skirts entourage nodded in a scarily synchronised movement and Melinda let them walk away.

That explains a lot she thought.


	2. Chapter 2

It was lunchtime and the eating hall was full, all except one table, **Melinda **frowned when she saw its lone occupant but forced a cheery smile on her face when **Cullen** looked up and saw her making her way over. He shook his head but she carried on "what are you doing?" he hissed at her

"This seat taken?" she asked ignoring his question and sat down without waiting for his reply.

"Get up now" he told her in a low voice "Get up and walk away before anyone notices where you are sitting"

Melinda looked up at him and just shook her head "how are you finding hero classes?" she asked before taking a bite of her apple she raised an eyebrow when she saw h was still sitting there glowering at here "what?" she said with a mouthful of apple

Cullen just shook his head "You're crazy, you're scared of a bus they fly to school every day but now you're sitting across the table from the guy pegged to be the next great villain eating your apple" he sighed in frustration "I don't understand you"

She shrugged "you're not meant to, I'm a girl"

Cullen gave a cry of exasperation "you don't underst-"

"No" she said forcefully looking him in the eye for the first time since she had sat down "You don't understand, you are the closest thing I have to a friend, you are, so far, the only person who has spoken a word of kindness to me, now stop fighting this and eat your lunch"

"My father" he started in a low voice "is the head of a crime ring, he is the latest in a long line of villains and I am expected to join in the family trade. You don't want to be my friend"

Melinda leant over the table so their faces were close enough that Cullen could see the golden flecks in her hazel eyes "I don't care" she whispered

Cullen just blinked at her in surprise.

The next few days followed much like the first, Melinda and Cullen always sharing lunch together, trying to ignore the stares. On the fourth day though it had become more than Cullen could take, it wasn't the whispers, the foot tripping, the silence. What it was was the treatment Melinda was receiving. She was facing the glares and the exclusion, the surprises in her locker and the phantom shoves from behind. She never let it show but he knew it was bothering her. Today he was going to make it right but it was going to hurt.

Cullen didn't look up from his lunch tray when Melinda sat down at their usual vacant table. Her greeting didn't receive a reply and her questions were ignored "o.k. what's going on with you today Mr I-need-my-tounge-to-eat-and-therefore-I-cant-even-smile-at-my-best-friend-when-she-says-hi?" she asked feeling slightly put out.

Cullen glanced up, swallows the last bite of his apple "nothing gotten into me and what's with this best friend nonsense?"

Melinda stared at him "I...I..." she stammered

"I...I..." he parroted "you what?" he asked, voice full of as much scorn as he could muster "you're just a sidekick, why would we be friends?" his heart was pounding against his chest and he was certain Melinda could hear it.

Her eyes flared as her anger consumed her pain she stood up with as much dignity as she could muster "you...you...you..." she started spouting words that were defiantly not in English, if he had to guess half of them probably weren't even spoken by people and he could tell by the paling faces of some of the international students sitting near them that she wasn't praising him, her storming off was a nice effect as well although the slap had been taking it a bit far.

The dining hall was filled with whispers but Cullen was oblivious as he tried to control the pain working its way up his throat from his heart. If he didn't get it under control he was going to scream and once that happened he wasn't sure how he was going to stop. "It's for her own good" he muttered to himself over and over again, not caring if he looked insane. He suddenly looked up; catching the entire cafeteria staring at him, all who saw his face felt their skin crawl. That, many of them would say in later years, was the moment they saw the Baron Battle for the first time.


	3. Chapter 3

When Melinda walked into the cafeteria for lunch the next day she froze in the doorway with indecision, Cullen watched her as she tried to avoid looking at him, her eyes darting everywhere but their isolated little island in the middle of the insanity. The look of relief that was blatant on her face when a group of fellow first years waved her over was painful but he made himself feel the happiness he had told himself he should be feeling.

The rest of the year went along the same lines. Cullen watched Melinda as she grew from the awkward teenager whom he had liked into the confident young woman whom he loved. Always he watched from the sidelines however, as he was terrified that if he had any actual contact with her she might lose all that she had gained since leaving him. 'Before' as he always referred to their past friendship, she had had no one of any worth, she had been treated terribly, something she didn't deserve although he always found it a little ironic that the same people who had been filling her locker with dog food were now her friends but without him Melinda had become the most popular girl in school, much to the disgust of a few people (girls mainly, who eyed her with jealousy whenever she turned her back) and she hadn't needed a ruthless personality or reputation for cruelty and humiliation, in fact she had quite the opposite. Melinda was the most popular girl in school because she was the foundation block in many respects. She was the person everyone turned to for advice or just a sympathetic ear and she never let rumours spread. She would light up a room with a smile but more importantly, or at least it seemed this was to Cullen, she didn't let people wander off feeling lost or excluded. If it had been anyone else they would have been crushed under someone's unfeeling high heel by now. Her new friends however were over protective of their innocent angel and never let her competition get even close to tearing her off her throne. For this Cullen was thankful.

The year hadn't gone completely as planned for Cullen however, there had been a couple of instances where Melinda had interrupted him in the middle of being beaten up, a common occurrence that Cullen had learned to endure rather than fight back and aggravate that situation. She had raised her voice, not shouting of course, Melinda never shouted, but she raised her voice and called for Sean, who was the boy on top of him, to stand up and walk away. Of course he did just that, with a sneer at Cullen and an apology to Melinda.

When it was just the two of them left, Melinda having to do quite a bit of convincing for her friends to leave, there were finally alone, the first time in nearly a year.

"Why didn't you fight back?" she asked sounding slightly exasperated as she got out her handkerchief and started cleaning the cut above his eye. She was close enough for him to see that her eyes were exactly the same as they had been. What he would give to be able to stare at them all day but already she was moving away. "Well?" she said

His mind scrambled to remember what she had asked "It's usually quicker if I just let them hit me" he saw her disapproving look "would you rather I just killed them?" he asked, knowing what her answer would be.

"No" was her immediate reply "But standing up for your self would be nice, it's not like you deserve this sort of thing, I mean what have you ever done to them?"

"I was born" he muttered

Melinda frowned again; Cullen was tempted to point out that if she tried to frown any harder she would get wrinkles but thought the better of it. Now was not the time to tease.

"I've been meaning to talk to you for a while now it just seems that whenever I look for you, you manage to avoid me"

Cullen kept his face blank; that was exactly what he had been doing, purely to avoid having a conversation like this.

"Cullen" she said. He had to close his eyes when waves of emotion crashed through him when she said his name "I wanted to tell you that I want to be friends again. You were the first person to be kind to me, I would like it if we could continue being friends" she looked uncertain as Cullen gave no hint of a reply "or perhaps you don't want me"-

"No" his traitorous mouth replied before his brain could think of a smart response "I mean... I would like for us to try" Stupid, stupid, STUPID his brain chanted "maybe after school tomorrow? We could go have some tea" he remembered her preference to tea "and study" Better his mind conceded, less pupils present to spread rumours.

Melinda gave one of her dazzling smiled that nearly stopped Cullen's heart "Perfect" she cried and gave him a hug. The sudden rush of sensations nearly caused a sensory overload. The smell and feel of her silky hair as it rested against his cheek, her slim frame in his arms, so fragile and yet full of energy and life, her hands on his back, small and warm. Again he would have given much to stay like that forever. Again she pulled away and he had to rush to hide the disappointment from her.

Cullen gave her a shaky smile and opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by the ringing of the bell. Both realised how close they were standing at the same moment and sprung apart "I should..."

"Yeah I need..."

Melinda gave an embarrassed smile "I should go to class"

"Yeah me too"

They parted with a wave.


	4. Chapter 4

It took a long time before the two of them were completely comfortable around each other again and even then it wasn't the same as it use to be. Melinda still hung out with her friends most of the time and Cullen had changed, become darker, angry.

Melinda was never quite sure how she managed sometimes, to look past the brooding hurt Cullen to see who he really was. It was particularly difficult when her attempts at normal friendship were met with brick walls, barbed wire and every now and again with gunfire in the form of insults. Over the past six months she learnt to ignore his mood swings, learnt to take the good moments when they came and at least attempted to teach him some self worth. Sometimes she felt confident that she had gotten through to him but then there were times (although less now that she had taken him under her wing) when she would come across him being beaten while he just lay there taking it. Always, she talked to the bullies, tried to convince them that evil wasn't hereditary, but it didn't seem to work. Sometimes she felt frustrated beyond imagination, ready to tear her hair out with everything she had pent up. Her group of friends thought they were protecting her, as if she was just going through a slight patch of insanity and would wake up to fact that her 'friend' was anything but (and besides they had no idea who she really needed protecting from) Cullen was very similar (not that he would have appreciated the comparison) he would turn up to their 'study days' with bruises and cuts and would try to explain them away but Melinda knew, although from experience she knew he would never talk about it.

Melinda shut her homework journal with a gut clenching thud and glanced outside. It was late and the sun had set behind the tree outside her window to turn her bedroom into a shadowy prison. Melinda strained her ears for any sign of her father's footsteps coming down the hallway. Nothing yet but she knew he would come in eventually. He always did.

Her father had been beating her for little over a year now, her mother for as long as Melinda could remember and in all that time no one had ever noticed. Her father had made sure to never get so carried away as to leave obvious bruises; they had always been where Melinda could hide them easily. She had only once ever come close to telling anyone of her dark family secret, Cullen had seen one of the bruises on her back when she had reached up for a book on the top shelf in the library but she had managed to convince him that she had received it during gym the day before. It was, after all, a plausible excuse but she had hated herself for having to lie to him. The rest of her friends were too focused on her 'mental wellbeing' to worry about her physically, none of them had ever noticed, for which Melinda was both glad and hurt by.

Her heart was lifeless, all colour drained from her face as she rose and stood in front of her window, wondering how easy it would be to finally do what she had thought about doing so many times before.

She opened her window and looked at the three story drop.

She had heard birds talk about it all the time, the feel of the wind beneath their wings, the rush of free fall; the freedom.

She swung her legs out and sat on her sill.

Now thoughts of her life came. She had no family left other than her father but all her friends, especially Cullen; what would he think? He would blame himself, she knew.

She watched her tears fall the three stories to land in silence on the neatly trimmed lawn.

"Oh god" she sobbed a long time later when she realised she couldn't do it, she couldn't leave her friends, she couldn't leave Cullen but, before she could pick up the courage to slide back into her room, the door behind her opened slowly. Melinda wouldn't have even noticed if it hadn't creaked. As she was twisting around she slipped forward, off balance and after a brief glimpse of her father's outraged face she fell. She had time; it seemed, for many thoughts to pass through her mind. The birds were right; it was amazing to feel the wind rushing past you. What was not so amazing though was the ground rushing up. She was free from her father, free from hiding the bruises, free from lying to her friends. But the last though was one from the primal depths of her soul.

_I don't want to die._

Melinda squeezed her eyes shut and prayed it would be quick but after a few moments she realised she still hadn't hit the ground. Melinda opened her eyes to find that she was still in the air, she was moving although not downwards anymore. She turned her head left and nearly fell out of the sky. She had wings. Wings, freaking wings! And she was flying... Like a bird. She heard voices to her right and turned to see her friends the sparrows beside her.

For hours her friends taught her the finer points of flying. About diving and soaring, air currents and strong winds but soon her friends, who were not use to being out at night, went back to their nests and left Melinda alone so she went to see the only person she really wanted to share this new development with.

Cullen was in his room when she perched on his sill and pecked at the window until she caught his attention, then, hopping backwards onto a tree branch and shifting into her human form, casually waved at him as she sat cross legged two stories above the ground. Cullen looked at her in amazement and helped her inside.


	5. Chapter 5

It was very late by the time Melinda arrived home, her father, thankfully, was fast asleep in her parent's room. She scampered into the house as a rat, becoming a housecat to climb the stairs. The freedom of her new power was amazing; she would never again be locked in or out of a room because of some hair brained idea of her fathers. Cullen had pointed out that she would be upgraded to the heroes' class with him. That though was so fantastic she had started to purr, it seemed Melinda could change parts of her anatomy without having to change the whole. After the purring incident (which had Cullen lying on the bed, clutching his stomach as he laughed) Melinda found she could grow claws, fur, tail but not wings big enough to support her human form. Melinda sighed when she worked this out; it meant she would still have to ride to school in that death trap of a school bus. Cullen, who seemed to be in a very good mood that night, found this comment hilarious and Melinda sat glaring at him as he went off in peals of laughter again.

She changed back into her usual form and slipped into bed, falling asleep with a smile on her lips. The next day went mostly as predicted, her father was surprised but not overjoyed to find her eating breakfast in the morning, she was upgraded to the hero's class much to her joy and chose the seat next to Cullen to enjoy her first lesson. There was however a shadow to her first day and no matter how hard her friends tried to keep her from it she finally heard the rumour that was circling. It seemed that some of the more jealous people had decided there was no way she could have gained the powers normally and because she spent time with Cullen it was on him that the blame fell. Melinda had laughed when she had first heard as it was obvious to anyone with half a brain that powers were something genetic and so it wasn't until she had caught a group of 2nd years trying to beat the 'truth' from Cullen that she realised how bad this really was and then when she tried to leave her period 2 class Mrs Gamblin pulled her to one side and asked some very pointed questions as to her relationship with Cullen and whether he had discussed becoming a villain. Having had enough of this she pointed out how little business it was of hers, the danger of making assumptions about anyone's character based on their parents and then walked out leaving a scarlet faced and thoroughly chastised Mrs Gamblin to her thoughts. Melinda wondered briefly why people cared at all whether she had gained new powers but she realised pretty quickly that it had little to do her and a lot to do with punishing Cullen for anything they could. This realisation angered Melinda's usually docile heart and so for the rest of the day she stalked around school using her considerable social power to stop the rumour and make sure everyone understood that Cullen was in no way influencing her. She left school felling like she had attempted to move a mountain.

The following two days were much the same and Melinda was starting to get frustrated; nobody was able to see past their prejudice and Melinda began to feel very alone. Her friends noticed and did perhaps the worst thing they could have possibly done; they blamed Cullen. It was this final thing which made Melinda snap; this final betrayal of her friends on top of the lack of sleep and greater workload to catch up on her classmates that drove her to the edge and then over it.

It was the beginning of lunch and Melinda was sitting quietly, at her groups table waiting for Cullen to arrive. She had decided that she was going to prove to her friends that Cullen was a normal human by having him sit with them for lunch but her friends were not so accepting. Tony, a jock with a huge crush on Melinda, went as far as to say that Cullen was a born killer. Melinda hadn't broken eye contact with Cullen during all the insults so he noticed when her expression stilled to one of calm determination at Tony's words. He tried to silently pled with her to not go through with whatever it was she was planning but Melinda just smiled a sad smile and turned back to her group "I can't do this anymore"

Hope flared in Tony's eyes

"I can't sit in the middle of this war and watch as the people I love turn into these cruel bigoted people. None of you understand what you have been putting me through, all of you have appointed yourselves my protectors but what happens when I needed protection from you" Melinda looked each of her friends in the eye as she lend back a fraction closer to Cullen, closer to her rock. The ten of them looked back at her with expressions ranging from confusion to worry "I've chosen Cullen's side" she said flatly "I cannot carry on making excuses for you all" Her friends tried to interrupt but she held up a hand and they silenced "I don't know what else to do" she said, willing her voice not to crack and give them a weakness to work at "for so long I've been hiding what I feel from you, from him, from myself that I lost track of what I wanted" she stood and held out a hand for the stunned Cullen to take "I'm not going to ask you to change and accept him because I know you can't, just like you would never ask me to turn my back on him" a few open mouths snapped shut as if they were about to ask exactly that. Melinda took a deep breath and gave a wobbly smile "please respect my choice, I didn't make it easily but I" tears started rolling down her cheeks "I just can't do it anymore" and with that she let Cullen lead her away, leaving a stunned group of friends and a silent lunch hall all watching her back as it receded from sight


	6. Chapter 6

It had been over 4 years since that day and Melinda was sometimes still shocked about what she had said. She had defiantly not planned to say aloud what she had but she regretted none of it. Her friends, of course, had tried to keep in contact with her but eventually they drifted away as it dawned on each of them that there was no way of reconciling their differences of opinion. For the first few weeks Melinda had agonised over what she had done, certain that there was another way but eventually, with help from Cullen, she set aside her worries and enjoyed her new life which wasn't difficult. Melinda excelled in all her classes and would be graduating top of her class in a few weeks time with Cullen by her side. That thought alone made her giddy with happiness, it was a chance at a new life, a chance to get out from under her father and explore the world and then maybe settle down and create foundations for a family of her own.

****

Melinda watched as the clouds rolled over the hills to the west bringing a sweeping darkness over the land. A shiver of foreboding ran down her spine as she watched the shadows rushing towards her, devouring everything in between; the towering pine trees, the sparsely scattered cottages and the buttercup filled fields. Nothing good can come of this she thought.

The storm brought with it howling winds and pounding hail which batted against that roof of the house for so long and so loudly that Melinda felt as if she was in the middle of a great battle. The electric lights had gone out hours ago and she was now huddled in front of the fire in the ground floor of her house which, apart from the meagre light of the candles, was the only illumination in the house.

Melinda loved storms; the feeling of insignificance in the grand scheme of things was a comfort to her which she found unusual if she thought about it too much but it didn't change the fact. Cullen, on several occasions that evening had remarked on how crazy she was to like it when the weather started showing off but she just told him he was bias to the warm weather since his power was fire.

Her father had had to leave the state on business a few days ago and had left his daughter to fend for herself, which she was very use to doing so it hadn't been a problem but seeing as she had promised Cullen she would do something with him that weekend, which was now obviously not going to happen in this weather, she had called him up and invited him to wait the storm out at her place just before the power had disconnected the phones. He had turned up twenty minutes later on her front doorstep steaming and muttering under his breath about what he would say if he ever had a chance to have a chat to God. Melinda now watched Cullen as he played with the fire in the grate. It sent shivers down her spine whenever he stuck his hand in it but he insisted it didn't hurt.

"What are you thinking about?" Cullen asked, cutting through Melinda's thoughts of the future

"Oh nothing important" she said with a grin "just life and the future and, you know, the little stuff"

Cullen raised an eyebrow "nothing important you say?" he tugged her until they were lying side by side on the rug "then perhaps the present can hold a little significance" and he rolled over and kissed her

"Hmmm, yes that seems a bit more of a pressing issue" Melinda said softly and kissed him back

Soon afterward, with considerably less clothing now involved, Melinda and Cullen had left behind all thoughts of the future and were focused on the warm, fire-lit present and each other.

****

_A.N.I can't believe I got another chapter out so quickly (this isn't really proof of my diligence in this fic but more my procrastination on all the other work I have piling up however if you wish to believe in my focus then please do!) I am guessing another three chapters to go but that sort of depends on how much inspiration I end up getting but with the other ideas queued up behind this one I don't think they will be far behind_


	7. Chapter 7

Graduation day was always a huge affair. The gym no longer looked like the torture chamber that it was, instead it was covered in banners and crepe paper and balloons and the torturer was sitting in a corner looking awkward in a suit and tie

"Poor Boomer" Melinda said pointing him out in the rapidly filling room "he looks like a sulking child"

"Please Mel, no feeling sorry for the evil men today, next thing I know you'll want to start a support group for them and I'll hear about their deaths on the 6 o'clock news"

"Their deaths? You mean mine"

"No, no" he replied with a grin "I suspect, if one of them tried to lay a hand on you, you would find a practical use for your claws"

Melinda hit him playfully on the arm "Boys" she said loftily "all they think about is violence, my claws have better uses"

"Like what?" he asked bemused

She gave him a broad smile "like a can opener"

Cullen roared with laughter "that's one of the lamest things I've heard in a while" she tried to protest but he lent down and silenced her with a swift kiss "but that's part of the reason I love you" Melinda rolled her eyes but let the argument die as her mind was swarmed with her worries about the task she had set herself for today. Just before they were split up to sit in their assigned seats Cullen pulled her aside "Mel, I need to talk to you just after we graduate ok?"

Melinda looked up at him and noticed the hesitation in his eyes and her stomach did flip flops as she thought about what she had to tell him "yeah, sure Hun, actually I've also got something to talk to you about. How about we can meet in the court yard by the sundial" she glanced at the harried looking teacher who was beckoning her over "I'll be the girl in the black robes and funny hat" Cullen chuckled and gave her another quick kiss before they were lead their separate ways.

****

The graduation had gone well, no one tripped over themselves when they received their piece of paper and handshakes and the service was over in record time. Of course to Cullen time seemed to drag at a snail's pace. He must have checked his watch a hundred times in the certainty that it had been hours when it had really only been 20 minutes or so. Ten minutes into the speeches his leg had started bouncing and by the end of it all he was sweating profusely. His mind was fixed on one point in his future, that moment when, at the sundial, he would kneel at Melinda's feet and ask her if he could spend the rest of his life with her.

Finally the students were released and Cullen rushed to their meeting place. Melinda looked lovely with the morning sun on her hair and face, she looked even more radiant than usual and when she saw him coming towards her that smile, well, Cullen would do anything to keep her smiling.

"Hey you, feel any more adult now that we're free from the crushing grip of high school?" Melinda asked as she wrapped her arms around him

"I feel more adult now than I ever have before" he answered completely seriously. Melinda pulled back to look up at him, noticing his change in mood "Melinda" he started with a deep shuddering breath and a glance over their shoulders to make sure they were alone "I love you"

"I know that silly-"

"I love you more than I thought possible" he continued blindly, determined to get it all out "you are the only reason I have any shred of decency in me and I can't imagine spending a moment of my life without you. I don't know what our future holds, I can't say I will be able to give you everything your heart desires but I promise to try" Melinda opened her mouth to ask what he was on about but the words died on her lips as he knelt before her and held out something in his hand "Melinda Rose Barr will you marry me?"

Melinda stared down at the little black velvet box with the simple diamond ring held in Cullen's hands and answered without hesitation "yes" she whispered and knelt before him "a thousand times yes"

Cullen fumbled the ring onto her left hand before sweeping her up in an embrace. It took a few moments before he registered that she was saying something

"Wait Cullen, wait, I need to tell you something before we make anything public" he put her down but didn't let go of her until she pulled away

"What's wrong?" he asked, some of his euphoria fading

Melinda took a few hesitant steps away and Cullen watched as she wrapped her arms around herself and chewed on her bottom lip for a moment "nothing's _wrong_ exactly but I have some news that" Melinda looked nervous "I don't know if you will like"

Cullen took the space between them in two strides and wrapped his arms around her until he felt her arms unwrap themselves from around herself "whatever it is isn't going to change my proposal so, as your fiancée I ask, what is it?"

Melinda buried her head into his chest and spoke haltingly "Do you remember that night we spent together a month ago during that storm?" Cullen nodded against the crown of her head "well it turns out I'm pregnant" Melinda felt Cullen freeze and tried to back away but his arms locked her against him

"Are you sure" he whispered in her hair. Her head twitched in ascent "that's amazing" he said in hushed awe "I know it's not what you had been hoping for but still" he wrapped his arms protectively over Melinda's flat belly "We're going to have a child"


End file.
